


All Done Up in Blue and Gold

by juehs34



Category: Turn (TV 2014), Turn Washington's Spies
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 19:40:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11516076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juehs34/pseuds/juehs34
Summary: You have answered the call of freedom by enlisting in the continental army, despite being a woman. One day a golden haired soldier boy catches your eye, and the rest is history. Benjamin Tallmadge x Reader.





	1. Chapter 1

The first time you had spotted him, he was in the middle of a fist fight. You hadn’t been able to see his face clearly for the campfire was growing faint, but what you saw intrigued you enough to ask about him. A fellow soldier in your company explained that the man was Major Benjamin Tallmadge of the second light dragoons. You thought it odd, a major partaking in such a practice so inappropriate as a fist fight, then again you had no room to talk. There was nothing more inappropriate than fighting in a war, especially for a woman, and yet here you were.

It was a hard choice, deciding to leave home and take up arms against the British, but it was something you felt that you had to do. After all, your own father answered the very same call nearly twenty years ago in the French and Indian War. Although he had lost his life in the line of service, you had no plans on following his footsteps. You worked hard to become the best soldier you could be, and at the same time conceal your true identity.

Alex Smith. That was the name adorning your enlistment papers. It was strange, adjusting to a fake name but that way it would be impossible to discover who you really were. You made sure to enlist in another town and join a company made entirely up of strangers. No one here knew the real Alex. She was long gone by now, buried underneath dozens of bad habits picked up in camp. You had to learn to blend in for the fear of being discovered was great. It wasn’t easy, you had had some close calls, but for now, your identity was safe. That was until this Major Tallmadge appeared in your life. As soon as your eyes landed on his figure, you were drawn in. There was something about him that called to you, something that made him different from the rest. Then again that might just be because he was fighting a fellow officer. 

When the fighting had ceased, that’s when you learned the man’s name and the reason behind the fight. With controversial pamphlet “Thoughts of a Free Man” making its rounds throughout the camp, soldiers were struggling whether they should trust in the Commander in Chief or hand the position over to someone else. In your opinion, Washington was the best man suited for the job, he was a veteran of the very same war your father had fought in and seemed to keep a level head in the midst of a battle. It seemed that the Major shared your opinion about the general, in fact, he seemed to be one of Washington’s favorites because the next time you saw him, he was walking out of the General’s Headquarters. That was odd, from what you had heard there was supposed to be an officer’s dinner he should be at right now. Maybe he was thrown out for his bad behavior earlier in the week? No, if that were the case then the other officer would have been removed as well.

When the Major glanced over in your direction, you averted your eyes and tried to look busy. The last thing you wanted was to draw attention to yourself. You tried to only socialize with men from your regiment, that way anyone from your hometown wouldn’t be able to hear your name around camp. Your charade worked, and the officer continued on his way. It was probably for the best that you stayed away, the last thing you needed was to develop feelings for a man you had never talked to. Besides, it would look odd if you started watching the officer, you were supposed to be a man after all.

Saying you would refrain from watching the major and doing so were entirely different things. It was hard to look away whenever he walked by, his golden hair always seemed to catch your eye. You tried your very best to keep this secret to yourself, and it seemed like you were doing a very good job of doing so until you were summoned by your regiment’s commanding officer.

“Sir?”

“Private Smith, please have a seat.” You did as Captain Bell said and sat on one of the two chairs that decorated his tent, it was slightly larger than the one you and your tentmate Gideon shared. The officers always got the best stuff…

“Have I done something wrong?” You were unaware of any errors you had committed during your time of service, besides posing as a man. Oh no, had Captain Bell found out? No that was preposterous there was no way he could have found out your secret, you had been meticulous about concealing your identity.

“Relax, you’re not in trouble. In fact, it’s good news,” the Captain chuckled. “You’ve served this regiment well, private. So well, in fact, I recommended you to a fellow officer. Tell me, Alex, how well acquainted are you with horses?”

“I would say as well as the next man, we had one at my farm when I was growing up,” you answered truthfully.

“Good, good, I wanted to make sure you were qualified for the regiment before I sent you over.”

“Sir?”

“The second light dragoons are in need of men and have requested that I send a couple of my best men over. I already spoke to Private Marshall about this as well, both of you will be sent over together as to not force you to look for a new tentmate,” said the Captain. Whew. You were comfortable around Gideon, and you had a feeling if he ever found out about your secret he would keep his mouth shut. The second light dragoons… why did that regiment sound so familiar to you?

The next day you immediately knew why. They had those over the top golden hats with white plumes as a part of their uniform. Oh god, those things had to weigh ten pounds at the very least!

“How are we supposed to keep our heads up with these things on our heads?” Gideon whispered. You shushed him and waited for your new captain to assign your new post. You didn’t know where your new officer was, but one of his men told you two to wait inside his tent until he arrived.

“With lots of practice,” someone said as they entered the tent. “I take it you two are Private Smith and Marshall?”

“Yes, Sir,” you and Gideon replied in unison.

“At ease, men. We’re just talking here,” the officer stated. With that, you turned your head to see who you would be taking orders from… it was him. “I’m Major Benjamin Tallmadge, and I’ll be your commanding officer while you two are in my regiment. Now, which one of you is which?”

“Gideon Marshall, Sir, it’s an honor to be serving with you.” Then the Major cast his blue eyes your way. You could feel your heart start to race, he was even more handsome up close.

“Alex Smith,” you stammered out.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you both. Now you both need to go through some basic training before I can put you on the battlefield. Have you two worked with horses before?” You and Gideon nodded. “Good, follow me.” Just like that seeing Major Tallmadge became a part of your daily routine, whether you liked it or not.

_______________________________________________________

Hey, guys! I'm not sure how long this fic is gonna be, but it's an idea that would not get out of my head until I wrote it down. I hope you guys like it!


	2. Chapter 2

After all was said and done the second light dragoons and your previous regiment were quite similar. You still shared a tent with Gideon, kept to yourself, had a curfew, and followed your commanding officer’s orders. There were only two glaring differences between this regiment and the last one; the fact that you had a new officer leading drills and that those said drills were on horseback.   
It took a few rides to really get comfortable with your new mount. You hadn’t been riding since you were little and even then, you rode aside the mount as all proper women did, it would be improper to ride any other way. Yet here you were, practicing drills disguised as a man and henceforth riding like one.   
“Sabre’s out!” Major Tallmadge shouted. You did as he said and drew forth your weapon, glancing up at it. Its shine was brilliant, for it had never been stained with the blood of another human and deep within your heart you selfishly hoped it never would. “Advance!” You urged your gray mount into a walk, and she complied. You were glad the Major had assigned you to this mount, she was patient and steady, unlike Gideon’s horse.   
“No, Georgeanna! Forward not backward!” you glanced over your shoulder at your tentmate. His mount was back peddling, as she was unaccustomed to the shiny sabre waving above her head. It was truly surprising that more mounts didn’t follow suit, most of the new recruits had new horses to replace the ones lost in battle, yours included.   
“Private Marshall, control your mount and get back in formation!” Major Tallmadge ordered.   
“Yes, Sir!” A few moments later Gideon was riding alongside you.   
“Took you long enough, “ you whispered.   
“Not my fault I got stuck with the horse that’s never seen a sword before,” he huffed. “I could’ve had that nice calm chestnut, but no every horse in this unit has to be a gray.” Before you had a chance to reply, new orders were being shouted at you.   
“Halt!” you pulled on the reins, stopping in line with the others. The major rode along the line examining each man, looking for things that needed improving. If there were nothing wrong, he would nod in approval and continue down the line. A rare occurrence. When he stopped in front of Gideon you gulped, your friend was a good man but a terrible soldier. He struggled during the drills in your previous regiment and continued to do so. “Private Marshall, you need to get that mount of yours under control. We can’t have you going the wrong way on the battlefield.”  
“Yes, Sir.”  
“I want you to work with your horse until she becomes an extension of yourself until you can move as one. Am I understood?” the Major asked, staring intensely at your friend.   
“Yes, Sir.” With a nod, the Major stepped in front of you. You met his gaze and instantly wished you hadn’t. His bright blue eyes seemed to pierce into your soul, for a brief moment you worried he saw through your ruse, that he knew your secret but that was impossible.   
“Private Smith,” he began breaking the eye contact to inspect your uniform. “Your top button is undone, you would do well to fix it lest another officer sees it.”   
“Yes, Sir,” you answered.   
“Another thing, you need to work on your riding posture. You slouch too much, at times it looks as if you are struggling to stay upright in the saddle. If you had a more aggressive mount, I dare to say you would have been thrown off long ago.” His words stung, you thought you were riding quite well. Apparently, you were wrong. “You must work on that, the last thing we need is to have you fall in the midst of battle.” And with that, he continued onto the next man. You sat there and ruminated upon his words. Was your posture truly that bad? Bad enough to be reprimanded? No, you didn’t think so. Major Tallmadge was simply a perfectionist, he wanted his regiment to be the best of the best, down to the last minute detail.   
Five minutes later the inspection was over. All of the new recruits had received a critique of his work and most of the more experienced soldiers as well. Only a few regiment veterans had escaped his harsh yet well-meaning words.   
“How the hell am I supposed to move as one with a horse?” Gideon grumbled as the two of you led your mounts towards the corral. “I can barely get my own two feet to work together.”   
“Do I really slouch when I’m in the saddle?” you questioned.   
“Only a little bit, it’s not that ba-“ Gideon was cut off by Ben’s voice.  
“Private Smith!” You looked over your shoulder and saw your new officer riding towards you. You could see what he meant when he said that your horse was to become an extension of yourself. It truly seemed that he and his mount had become one entity, moving together in a perfect rhythm.   
“Sir?”   
“I would like to speak with you… privately.” He added the last bit when he noticed Gideon.   
“Of course.” Since major made no attempt to dismount, you remounted your horse.   
“Follow me,” and with that, he trotted away from you.   
“What do you think he wants?” you whispered down to your friend.   
“Beats me, but he’s not the type you should leave waiting. Go on, I’ll see you at dinner. Until then my friend.”  
“Until then,” you echoed.


	3. Chapter 3

The farther and farther away you were from the camp, the more confused you became. If Major Tallmadge wanted to reprimand you, why do it this far out? If he wanted to give you special orders was he that paranoid about spies in the camp? Right now, you were faced with more questions than answers, something you hoped would change as soon as you reached this mystery location.  
“Here is as good of a place as any,” he said turning his horse so that he could face you.   
“Where are we?” you asked looking around the hilltop. There was nothing here, nothing but some dried grass and weeds.   
“A place where we won’t be interrupted,” he replied briskly. “Now tell me, why do you think I brought you here?”   
“To reprimand me?”   
“Do you think I would take you this far out of the way to reprimand you?”   
“Perhaps?” The major regarded you for a moment, almost as if he were surprised at your bold answer.   
“Allow me to quell your worry. That is not why we are here.” Well, that was a relief.   
“Then why am I here?”   
“Because you have proven yourself well during your short time here. I feel as if you would be well suited for a different job,” Major Tallmadge explained looking down the hillside at the camp below.   
“Sir?” What did he mean? You had only been in the regiment for two weeks, and now you were going to be moved yet again? You didn’t want to move; the Second Light Dragoons were respected amongst the army, after all, Major Tallmadge was one of General Washington’s favorite officers. He was calling upon him almost constantly, even in the middle of drills and the like. You weren’t about to leave a regiment of such great importance.   
“I’m promoting you to Corporal, (Y/N), you seem to carry yourself well.” Wait, was he serious? Were you getting promoted already? Either you were a much better soldier than you originally thought, or Major Tallmadge was desperate. “The men could look up to someone like you, especially Private Marshall. He seems to be struggling with the transition from a foot soldier to a Calvary man.”   
“I- I don’t know what to say, Major,” you stammered.   
“Say that you accept the promotion,” he said firmly. “I need men I can trust to stand in for me, since General Washington may call me at any moment.” The Major truly sounded as if he needed your help, but were you qualified for such a position? Not to mention what would happen if your identity was discovered when you were an officer. Your punishment could be much worse than simply being dismissed from the army.  
“Very well, I accept the promotion. What must I do now?”   
“For now, not much. You will continue to share a tent with Private Marshall but be prepared for men to come looking for you if they have any questions.”   
“But how will I know how to answer?”  
“I’ll be meeting with you on the regular to discuss private matters with you. The nature of these meetings will usually consist of campground locations and drills that you may need to lead throughout the week. Am I understood?”   
“Yes, Sir!”   
“Good,” the Major looked down the hillside with a small sigh. “That’s one thing taken care of. You’re free to go about your business; if I need you, I’ll send a courier or search you out myself.”  
“Thank you, Sir,” you bowed your head for a moment and then proceeded back down the hill. So, you were now a corporal… Who would have private meetings with Major Tallmadge… You weren’t sure how many more surprises you could handle.   
When you made it back to your tent, it was dinner time, and Gideon had saved you a seat by the roaring fire.   
“(Y/N)!” he greeted you warmly. “You’re alive!” You rolled your eyes at that one; you were in no real danger. Gideon just had a flare for the dramatics. “Did the Major chew your ear off?” he asked once you had taken a seat next to him.   
“No, he promoted me to Corporal,” you stated taking a bite of your dinner. Some beans on a piece of bread, it wasn’t much but provided enough substance to keep the army going and rather cheaply too.   
“Wait, what?!” Gideon choked on his bread. “You’re a Corporal now?!”   
“Shhhh! Do you want the entire camp to know?” you hushed your friend. “Yes, I’m a Corporal. It’s not that big of a deal you know.”   
“I beg to differ. Now everyone in the regiment is going to come to our tent whenever they have a complaint about dinner. Look, here comes Cyrus.”   
“Smith,” a deep low voice said. You looked up and came face to face with Cyrus O’Connor, a large Irish man with the strongest brogue you’ve ever heard.   
“Private O’Connor, can I help you?”   
“Is it true you’re a corporal now?”  
“Aye, it is. What about it?” You had never liked Cyrus; he was loud and rude. If it weren't for your upbringing, you would have clashed with him long ago.  
“This dinner tastes like cac!” he spat out.   
“Excuse me?”   
“Shite! Cac! It tastes like shite!” you bristled at the curse. You knew Major Tallmadge disproved of the men swearing; this was an army of gentlemen not a bunch of rakes.   
“Private O’Connor mind your tongue.” The redhead looked down at you in surprise.   
“What did you say?” he asked, getting in your face. You had to stand your ground; you weren’t about to be pushed around by him. You calmly stood up so that you were closer to his height, although he was a few inches taller than you still.   
“I said. Mind. Your. Tongue,” you growled. Cyrus narrowed his eyes and turned around. It looked like you won this round, or so you thought. Before you could react, he whipped around and threw a punch, one that landed squarely on your cheek.   
“No one tells me what to do! Especially small fools like you!” he roared. You staggered backward, holding your cheek in your hand. You bit back tears; no one had ever hit you before let alone a rake like him. Before you could react, Gideon launched himself at Cyrus.   
“Why you!” The two men fell to the ground a mess of fists and teeth.   
“Soldiers!” you barked at the two. “At ease!” but neither of them stopped. You stepped forward and grabbed Gideon by his collar. “I said. At. Ease.”   
“But he hit you! He shouldn’t get away with that!” Gideon exclaimed, pointing at the man.   
“He won’t, he will be punished accordingly,” you stated calmly. “You, however, will get a warning since you have yet to cause any serious issues.”   
“You’re picking favorites!” bellowed.   
“No, I’m following protocol,” you stated. “You Private O’Connor will report to Major Tallmadge’s tent, accompanied by Private Marshall and explain to him what happened tonight. If I hear from Tallmadge or Marshall that you lied, you will be facing a much worse punishment. Am I understood?” Silence. “I said am I understood?”   
“Yes, Sir.”   
“Good, now go,” you watched as Gideon and Cyrus disappeared in the direction of Major Tallmadge’s tent. Being a Corporal was going to be a lot harder than you thought.


End file.
